🔗 Share this article

McLaren Formula 1 leaders Brown and Andrea Stella blamed opposing racers for the collision between Oscar Piastri and Norris at the beginning of the United States Grand Prix sprint race.

Piastri, leading Norris in the standings by twenty-two points, bounced into his team-mate after making contact with Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg.

The incident forced out both team drivers out of the event, along with Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who was on the inner side of Hulkenberg.

Team Executives Express Disappointment Over Crash

Brown, McLaren Racing's chief executive officer, stated to Sky Sports that some of the racing at the front was "inexperienced", stating: "Clearly Nico made contact with Oscar and he had no reason being where he was."

McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella commented: "Our feeling is that we are disappointed that we were denied the opportunity to compete."

"It's surprising that some racers with a lot of expertise don't act with necessary care. Go to the first corner, ensure you don't damage other drivers and carry on."

McLaren clarified that the team principal was pointing to both Hulkenberg and the Aston Martin driver.

Contrasting Views on the Crash

However, 1996 world champion Hill, commentating for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, said he believed Piastri had not demonstrated enough awareness of the dangers of the first corner of an F1 race when he chose to move inside to try to overtake Norris.

The Australian had a stronger launch than Norris and initially competed on the outer side on the uphill entry to the turn.

But he then cut back in an attempt to get a run on his teammate on the exit, only to hit Hulkenberg.

Driver Reactions After the Collision

The McLaren driver said: "Less than perfect but I did not see what happened, I attempted to cut back on Norris and we were both very far from the apex and then were struck and it sent me into Norris. A shame."

His teammate said: "I just got hit, right? I did nothing wrong. Behind us things happened and I just was unfortunate and was struck because of it. I am unsure. I need to review a bit more thoroughly. It's more drivers behind just being a bit reckless and we are the result of that."

The Aston Martin driver said: "At one point I thought I was in the correct position on the inside, but some cars came very quickly from the outer side switching back and then I was there in the middle."

The Sauber driver, who had earned a season-best fourth place, said: "Big frustrations. All the strong performance from yesterday in the bin. Just messy."

"Oscar turned in pretty aggressively trying to get the undercut and exit of the first corner but I can't just disappear."

"I had Fernando attack on the inner side and I couldn't see him any more. I aimed to provide room for him and then Piastri steered inward and the collision was unavoidable."

Aftermath and Team Response

McLaren will analyze the crash with their racers but not until the event weekend. Both cars needed extensive work before qualifying session at 22:00 BST on Saturday.

The team principal said: "In general displeased but we accept it, we are now focusing on fixing the vehicles, there is a lot to do and then we will resume the weekend from there."

"We are in a competitive place from our performance point of view so I trust we have the possibility to compete, compete fairly and utilize our performance."

"The points are the key thing, I prefer not to talk about mal-intent, just prudence. A bit more prudence would be good for everyone."

Standings Impact

The race was won by Red Bull's Verstappen, who gained ground on both McLaren drivers in the championship - he is now fifty-five points behind Piastri and 33 behind of Norris.

Stella said: "The implication is what the numbers show - we missed out on eight points with both drivers, but we concentrate on ourselves. We have a very competitive car and two skilled racers. We look forward to just some standard competition."

Verstappen said he was approaching the championship race by race.

US GP

October 17-19, with race from 8 PM BST on Sunday

Real-time analysis on sports radio, Sports Extra and extra coverage; live text updates on sports website and mobile application